6 Ways to Transform Your Entryway

By: Kelly Obbink from InHouz

The moment you open your front door and step in, you want to feel welcome and happy to be home. A well-lit, neat and attractive entryway is enticing, creates warmth and speaks volumes about the residents. You can add your personality and taste to your home at the entryway itself.    

Here are a few unique and innovative ways to transform your entryway:

1. Create a Styled Side Table Area

While designing and choosing the elements for an entryway table, you must consider the design elements of balance, harmony and color. 

If the table has a large picture or mirror as its backdrop, it feels well grounded as if it belongs there and is not merely hanging around. 

A piece of fabric, tapestry or even wallpaper in an attractive frame works well. You could let it sit on the table or have it hanging just behind it, depending on the look you want to create. 

Place a carpet or rug under the table. Accessorize with books, a tray for keys or mail, a lamp, a vase or a flowering plant to dress the table adequately. 

2. Create Storage Solutions

However small your entryway, you can use your creativity and add simple and functional storage solutions. Matching or similar buckets, baskets and bins add storage space at the entryway while ensuring these accessories also add aesthetic appeal to the space. 

Alternatively, you can be innovative and let your imagination soar. For instance, you can use milk crates and give them a fresh coat of paint. Then, mount them on the wall and have baskets that fit inside them to serve as storage bins. If you have kids and want to create storage space for them, a low-fixed rod with hooks to hang up jackets, bags and everything else they come home with is a great solution. A drip station for shoes is also a good choice, especially during winters or when it’s raining.   

3. Decorative Door Glass 

An entrance filled with natural light is attractive and beckoning. You can achieve this and give your front door a distinctive look by installing decorative door glass. Depending on the style of your home and the surrounding décor, you can find door glass that coordinates well. Contemporary, eclectic, and old world are just a few of the style options to choose from. For a classic look, clear door glass will do the trick. You’ll be amazed by the amount of light that will flow through your front door and give the rest of your foyer a more open feel. Even the neighbors strolling by outside will be in awe of the transformation.

4. Add a Unique Chandelier

Chandeliers spell panache, elegance and sophistication. So, if that is the look you want, a chandelier will achieve this. If your entryway is large, an opulent chandelier hanging from the ceiling will become the focal point of your foyer. Otherwise, opt for less grandeur, which will still add style but won’t steal the show.

Besides making the entryway look stunning, a chandelier also serves the purpose of lighting up the entrance and surrounding areas -- you can never have too much light! 

5. Add a Decorative Rug

Rugs and carpets in any shape or size are always welcome in homes. When used in the entranceway they add to the warmth and make a home more inviting. 

If your entranceway is decorated in muted colors, brighten it up with a bold rug, and conversely, a neutral rug can be the perfect way to tie various patterns and styles together. 

6. Bring Nature to Your Doorstep with Plants and Flowers 

The entryway is a transition area – you leave the outside world behind and enter the warmth and comfort of your home. Adding potted and flowering plants will allow you to make this area fresh and welcoming. Just don’t go overboard with the greenery. You should have just enough greenery and vibrantly colored flowers to make the doorway look warm, welcoming and rejuvenated. 

A put together entryway gives visitors a warm welcome and will make you smile every time you walk through your own front door. This central area of the home can be transformed by trying even just one of the ideas above. What else have you done to decorate your entryway? I’d love to hear new ideas!

These are some great ideas on creating a wonderful entryway.   I want to thank Kelly for guest posting today!  Kelly currently serves as Marketing Manager at InHouz, and enjoys sharing both fun and practical ideas about doors, natural lighting, and DIY through the Get Inspired with InHouz blog.

Sharing with these blogs:
Homestories A to Z

Voile Curtains

I'm so excited to have a guest post by Kathy, who is a contributor to the blog Yorkshire Linen Co.

Hi I am Kathy and I drink,eat,sleep home decor! It is a passion that keeps me going. I am very happy to be here today, a bunch of thanks to Sally @ Love of Homes. Please stop by the blog  Yorkshire Linen for more of my work.

8 Dainty Tips for Bedroom Decor Featuring Voile Curtains

If you are creating a delicate and dainty bedroom for a young lady, you can do no better than to use voile curtains as part of the dÈcor scheme. There are many reasons to use voile in the bedroom, eight of which follow below:
Easy-Cleaning
Voile is marvelously easy to clean. You can take down the curtains, pop them into the washing machine (they will fit into most standard machines thanks to the very light thread used to weave the curtains) and then hang them back up straight away after a good spin cycle. There will be no damaging dripping from such light fabric and they will dry very quickly with any creases falling out as they do so.
No Nets Please!
Voile is a great replacement for netting, which can sometimes seem quite dated and old-fashioned, having no place in a modern home. If you are not keen on net curtains, or simply want to try something a little different, invest in several pairs of voile curtains so that you can try the effects of different colors and lengths.

 Screen Out
Voile panels can be used as a kind of shield during the day, diffusing bright or harsh sunlight and softening the dazzle and shadows inside the room, while still allowing plenty of light and fresh air to flood into the room. Hang a panel over the window so that it lies flat, with no gathers or pleats to maximize the light entering the room and to allow yourself a reasonable view through the delicate and fine-grained fabric. Team this with opaque curtains or blinds for those moments when you want complete privacy from the outside world.

 Folds of Fabulous
Masses of sheer fabric clustered at the window look great, especially when they are allowed to move gently in the breeze. Plentiful folds of voile work to block our unwanted attention, while allowing in plenty of light and air.

 Lace Effect
Voile, while simply a light woven fabric, can have a gloriously lacy look, which is perfect for lightening the tone of otherwise sombre or neutral dÈcor. Lace-look curtains add a wonderfully light and frothy touch to any roomís dÈcor and they are perfect for girls and women of all ages. For a variety of bedding lace options, my favorite place to get it from is The Find.
Stripes
Voile fabric is able to hold patterns and stripes very well. This means that you can find striped voile curtains that use the colours that you have chosen for your roomís colour scheme. Finding curtains that exactly echo the colours used in your dÈcor can really pull your room together, imbuing it with a wonderfully professional polish. For exotic and captivating voile curtains, my utmost favorite is Yorkshire Linen Co.

Colours
Voile panels and curtains are available in a huge range of colours: many more shades and tones that can be found in other fabrics. This is because voile tends to be cotton-based and very light, and therefore, will pick up and hold dye colours accurately. Choosing voile as your preferred curtain fabric opens up an immense world of opportunity: in which you can choose several pairs of curtains, one in each of your colour schemeís chosen hues which will enable you to quickly and simply make fairly dramatic changes to the appearance and ambiance of the room.

 Feminine Note
If you dÈcor is fairly neutral and bland, voile curtains can add a very necessary feminine note. This can help you to personalise the room around your character, making the room more attractive and inviting and less like a blank canvas or hotel room.

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Thanks again Kathy for sharing your article.
Stop by and see more of her work at the Yorkshire Linen Co. blog!

Guest Post {Creating A Dream Playground}

 I was recently contacted by a company called Asphalt Materials about having them do a guest post about
"Creating Your Children's Dream Playground".
I found their tips to be very helpful, especially since we are just finishing up a trampoline project in our side yard.
  

Traditional Kids by The Woodlands Architects & Designers JAUREGUI Architecture Interiors Construction

source

Creating Your Children’s Dream Playground

Backyards and children go together like milk and chocolate.  A backyard can provide endless hours of fun, exciting, and safe entertainment.  In a world where more and more kids are addicted to television, video games, and other technologies, it is more important than ever to create a backyard that is inviting to your children and full of endless possibilities.  In this article we’ll take a look at some of the basic principles of creating a dream playground in your very own backyard.

When imagining your new playground, it is important that you take a good, hard look at your space. In order to be most effective a playground should be built on a level surface.  It should also be located within viewing and hearing distance of the house so that you can provide constant supervision whenever the children are playing.

Once you have picked the perfect area, you need to pick the surface.  Safe surfaces will absorb the impact from any potential falls and will result in far fewer injuries.  Materials such as foam padding, sand  or rubber mulch are great choices.

At this point you are ready to pick out your equipment.  Take your children’s ages and abilities into consideration. Never pick equipment that is beyond their capabilities as this will most likely lead to injuries.  You can always buy and install more equipment as your children get older to keep the playground inviting.

Always make sure that you plan for weather.  This includes inclement weather like rain, but also intense sun.  Putting sheltered places either in your playground or over the entire structure will ensure that you children will want to play there all year round.

Be imaginative.  Playgrounds do not only have to consist of manufactured swings or slides.  Sandboxes, hammocks, zip lines, and playhouses are all great things to include in your playground.  These features will help foster your children’s imaginations.

Once your playground is installed, make sure that you perform routine and regular inspections.  This will ensure that everything is in working order and that none of the children are injured due to a loose screw or jagged edge.

Finally, don’t just concentrate on the playground area.  Take the surrounding landscaping into consideration. Remember that kids do not often pay attention to things beneath their feet, so a playground is not the ideal spot for any prized plants, flowers, or sculptures.  Include plants that are durable and low-maintenance.  And don’t forget a comfortable bench or lounging area for any adult supervisors.

 Asphalt Materials is a locally owned company which was organized in 1975 offering Utah topsoil, mulch, and landscape materials. For over 37 years Asphalt Materials has provided the Wasatch Front with quality products and services. The company is based out of West Jordan, Utah. They also operate a gravel pit in Bluffdale, Utah featuring sand, gravel and topsoil.

They definitely share some wonderful ideas & they have the materials needed to help you achieve the goal of a beautiful yard.

I hope you enjoyed the article & will check out their website www.asphaltmaterials.com